Audioplayer outside and inside

Evgenie Rudometov

authors@rudometov.com

Rashirjaja the presence in the market of products of consumer electronics, company Micro-Star International (MSI) has developed and has released the next model of an audioplayer

The prompt extension of the market of consumer electronics became a logical consequence of convergence of computer and traditional electron technologies. As a result many home products without which it is already difficult to present the life, have strongly varied. Released TVs, radio receivers and tape recorders become digital more and more. In their internal arrangement the accessories traditionally linked to computers even more often use. Today any more a rarity usage in these products of powerful processors, hard disks, dynamic storage, standard interfaces. Modern audioplayers are not an exception.

Audioplayers take of the important position in the world of high technologies and digital products. These extremely popular products are widely presented in the computer market and use the deserved popularity. Their production which is carried out by the big number of the companies, is commensurable with release of computers and makes ten millions pieces a year. It brings to their implementators, manufacturers and sellers very big incomes that stimulates growth of appropriate sector of the market and increase in number of the corporations occupied in given business.

Among these corporations the visible place is occupied with known computer company MSI which in addition to main production releases a wide spectrum of products of consumer electronics. Thus among these products the considerable share is occupied with digital audioplayers.

As an example of the compact, desksize, digital audioplayers released by company MSI and characterised in small weight and the price, it is possible to result model MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite. This model is the typical representative of the products concerning sector Low End. It is deprived FM a radio receiver and possibilities of writing. It is intended for individual listening of files in format MP3 and WMA.

Appearance of audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite is resulted in a Fig. 1, and key parametres are presented in Table 1.

Fig. 1. Digital audioplayer MEGAPLAYER 533Lite

Table 1. Key parametres of model MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite

Model		MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite
Playback formats		MP3, WMA (16 - 320 Kbit/c)
Operating systems		Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Pro, Windows 98, Windows 98SE; and Windows 98SE is necessary for Windows 98 installation of drivers
The interface		USB Revision 2.0 fullspeed
The sizes, mm		58 (W) x 48.5 (D) x 13.5 (H)
Weight		29 g — without the battery, 40 g — with the battery
Temperature range, With	For operation	0 ~ 45
	For storage	-20 ~ +70
Audio parametres	Output, mv	10
	Frequency range, Hz	20 ~ 20 0 00
	Dynamic range, db	> 90
Size of the built in flash-memory, Mb		0 / 128 / 256 / 512
Input/output plugs		Audiooutput for ear-phones, a stereo, 3.5 mm
		USB-connector
Basic functions		Playback MP3 / WMA
		Disk USB for the computer
		SD kartrider

The given model (the technical name — MSI MS-5533) is released in tanks of white or black colour.

Handle of an audioplayer, is carried out by means of five miniature not fixed buttons. Three of them are allocated on a front panel of tank and fulfil functions «inclusions / pauses / turns off», "rewinds", «winds forwards». Two others are in the upper end face of tank and are responsible for volume control.

For the purpose of simplification of a construction and reduction of price in a construction of model MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite there is no built in screen monitor. However it is impossible to tell, that the given model is absolutely deprived visual indication of functional modes. This role fulfils dvutsvetnyj a light-emitting diode allocated in the upper left corner of a front panel of the arrangement.

After inclusion the indicator light-emitting diode is shone first two seconds by yellow-orange colour, and then its luminescence passes in the continuous green. In a mode of playback the light-emitting diode luminescence becomes faltering and proceeds during all process of listening of an audio record.

From interesting features of the specified audioplayer it is necessary to mark possibility of usage of add-on memory. Really, the majority of similar arrangements are released with the fixed size of an internal storage of non-volatile storage of the flash-memory fulfilled on the basis of chips. It is obvious, that the arrangement final price depends on size of the given memory not only the common size hranimyh audiofiles, but also: the more a memory size, the above the price. But even if not to pay attention to the price, it is necessary to recognise, what even in case of models with limiting memory sizes of the built in memory its size remains all the same limited. As a result at durable removal from the computer, audiocontent change becomes the insoluble task.

However it concerns not all models. So, for example, in audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite the given problem is solved thanks to presence of the special external plug of standard SD. The given plug allows to expand the informational memory size making, by the way, only 128 Mb. The extension by means of usage of special units of the flash-memory is fulfilled. Access to the plug is carried out after removal of a back cover of the audioplayer opening, by the way, and access to a replaceable standard unit of power supplies of form factor AAA (a Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. SD plug and the battery of audioplayer MEGAPLAYER 533Lite

It is necessary to mark, that as the given source can use not only traditional alkaline (Alkaline) a unit, but also as practice has shown, Ni-MH the secondary generator. The used battery is intended for energopitanija electronic "stuffing" of an audioplayer.

All electronic units are allocated on the uniform printed circuit card, access to which is carried out after dismantling of tank of the arrangement. On one side of the card the plug of flash-memory SD with a small amount of units, on another — plugs, contact electrodes of control buttons and the most important components — audioplayer chips is allocated  . Their only two and they are presented in a Fig. 3.

So, a basis of audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite are only two chips.

One of them, judging by its name, is released by Samsung corporation. It fulfils functions of the built in flash-memory.

The second chip represents vysokointegrirovannyj the controller created by company SigmaTel. This chip having name SIGMATEL STMP3502, is specially designed for arrangements of consumer electronics. It will constrain a considerable quantity of the controllers intended for handle by external electronic parts in the structure. As an example of the resources built in a chip it is possible to name controllers FM of a tuner and display LCD/LED, a chain of writing from a microphone / a radio receiver / a linear input terminal, a resource of monitoring of the battery power, controllers of memory and digital interfaces, the amplifier of headphones etc .

The common handle of all integrated controllers carries out rather powerful 24-bit processor which carries out by means of built in analogue-digital and digital-to-analogue converters, and also of some auxiliary chains all necessary operations over audiodata. First of all, it concerns operations MP3 and WMA.

By the way, all given operations any several years ago for performance power of the central processor unit rather efficient (certainly, under frames of that time) the desktop computer was required. However today, as sets an example SIGMATEL STMP3502, for realisation of all necessary conversions MP3 and WMA there is enough power of the processor which has been built in an inexpensive chip.

Fig. 3. The Printed circuit card of audioplayer MEGAPLAYER 533 Lite with the electronic units allocated on it

Certainly, all possibilities of chip SIGMATEL STMP3502 are involved in audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite far not. Considering the price of the given chip, its choice is not too prodigal. However company MSI releases on the basis of the specified solution and more powerful models having the similar name — MEGA PLAYER 533. However consideration of their features is not a subject of given article.

Coming back to possibilities of model MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite, it is necessary to mark, that occupancy by the audioinformation of the built in and external flash-memory of the given audioplayer is carried out through traditional interface USB. In case of the widespread operating system (OS) of Windows XP, according to implementators MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite, any additional driver is not required. And, as check has shown, it is real so. However at audioplayer hooking up to the computer there is a message presented in a Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. The message after hooking up of audioplayer MEGAPLAYER 533 Lite to the computer

As the given message affirms, that the arrangement works not with due speed. As OS solution suggests to replace USB ports. By the way, as the computer providing an informational exchange with memory of audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite, notebook MSI MEGABOOK S260 used. It is necessary to mark, that the similar result was observed and with notebooks of other manufacturers.

Leaving without remarks specified "focal points" of Windows XP Home Edition, it is necessary to pay attention, that used in the architecture of an audioplayer chip SigmaTel STMP3502 according to its description works with a speed «USB 2.0 Full Speed», that corresponds to standard USB 1.1. As other controllers as a part of the architecture of an audioplayer are not present, the given speed is unique. And change of ports even if it would be possible, will give nothing.

Nevertheless, the specified message does not stir to operation: the arrangement is correctly identified by hardware-software resources of the computer. It shows a window fragment «Device Manager» («the Manager of arrangements»), resulted on a Fig. 5.

Fig. 5. A window fragment «Device Manager»

Each of 5 lines marked in a Fig. «MSI MS-5533 USB Device» is responsible for the logic unit — the internal and external flash-memory. The appropriate example representing a fragment of a window «My Computer» («My Computer»), is resulted in a Fig. 6.

Fig. 6. A window fragment «My Computer»

533 Lit it is necessary to carry possibility of usage MEGA PLAYER to additional possibilities of audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite as the USB-disk drive for storage of various computer files. Thus for the given purpose can use both the built in memory, and on-line SD units. In the latter case the audioplayer can be applied and as kartrider. By the way, usage MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite as the external disk drive does not demand battery presence that, you will not tell about a mode of playback of sound recordings.

The operating time of the given arrangement on the basic purpose depends on size of the battery, a degree of the file compression, the installed level of loudness, and also used headphones. Direct measurement of a current consumption has shown, that its level is in a band 70 – 100 ma (usually an average current — 80 ma) at comfortable level of loudness and phones with a resistance 30 Ohm. Thus, usage Ni-MH of the secondary generator in size 950 mach provides usually more than 10 business hours.

It is necessary to add, that quality of playback has appeared rather high, that, however, and followed expect from the arrangement created by the known manufacturer. As to boundedness of functionality MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite it is not necessary to forget that the given model concerns arrangements Low End.

The sample of digital audioplayer MEGA PLAYER 533 Lite is given by the Moscow office of company Micro-Star International